Small Lady Samurai
by gametaken
Summary: Sano gets the shock of his life when he finds out he has a daughter, but what's worse is that she's up to something.
1. Small Lady Samurai Chapter 1

Rurouni Kenshin – Small Lady Samurai

Chapter One

By gametaken

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own any characters portrayed in the manga, television series, or any other animated productions of the kind.

Author's Note: Because of a certain lack of Rurouni Kenshin fan fics by yours-truly, I decided to make a small series based off of a role play I was on in a forum. The role play turned out pretty good. This tale involves Sanosuke Sigara and Kenshin Himura plus a small stranger who supposedly comes in search of her former Seki-Houtai "father," Sanosuke. This story will turn out to be a tale of false trust, bonds and friendship, love, betrayal, and hurt. Sounds like a thriller, no? Let's start!

The bustling streets of Tokyo nearby the Kamiya Kashin dojo were filled with busy shoppers, stressed mothers ushering their rowdy children along before them, and arguing traders bartering over their goods.

A few police patrolled the market streets, brandishing their swords proudly beside them as a sign of rule over the townsmen. This era of no swords was a rebellious era. No one dared carry a sword in broad day light for fear of being caught.

A young girl about the age of ten walked the streets alone, wearing a beautiful orange children's kimono with a purple sash. Purple flower petals danced along the right side, seemingly gliding through the thin black branches depicted on the fabric.

Tucked in the front of her sash was a wakasashi, a shorter version of a katana. The handle was wrapped with strong black twine and the hilt was a fine silver. The sheath was a dark purple with flecks of grey and black in it. Tied about the top of the handle with a purple ribbon, just beneath the hilt, was a strand of purple and orange glass beads and a small black onyx bead in the shape of a bear.

Her hair was raven black and tied in two buns atop her head with purple ribbons, an orange glass bead at the ends of the ribbons. Her bangs just brushed the top of her thin, curiously arched eye brows.

Her skin was a weathered tan as if she'd spent her entire life out in the sun. Her face was round and sweet and her eyes were a warm orange color, big and fathomless.

The girl crossed her arms in front of her so that her long sleeves cleverly hid the short sword. A small swallow flitted above her, chirping happily as she walked through the streets. An old, happy merchant man with kind, squinting eyes and a comic smile that spread from ear to ear waved her in his direction.

Attracted, the girl walked over to him, eyes wide and curious. The old man gestured to a small rack hung with necklaces of all sorts of colored beads. A few of them were orange and purple, like the colors the girl displayed in her demeanor.

"I see you are fond of those colors," the old man said in a cheerfully gruff voice as he waved his hand at her kimono. "Take a look at this old man's necklaces and charms, little girl, and see if any interest you."

The girl smiled and gave a small bow to the old merchant. She stood on her tip toes to get a good look at all the charms and a glittering silver pendant caught her attention. It was of a panda bear; the black patches were of onyx stone and the white was silver. It hung on a string of small onyx beads that glittered in the sun.

She smiled widely, pleased by its beauty. She pointed to the necklace, her other arm still covering the sword, and said, "That one is really pretty, Ossan! (Ossan is a Japanese term one would use to address and older person. Ochan is another term to call a senior, but this term has more familiarity affiliated with it.) How much is it, please?"

"Oh-ho-ho," chuckled the old merchant. "For you, little one, I will make a special price. I feel you have a very strong connection with this animal." He touched the bear pendant with his long, practiced fingers. "For you, five yen."

"Five?" exclaimed the little girl, eyes wide and a smile on her face. She frantically fumbled for the silk money pouch at her side, revealing the wakasashi as she did so. Her sparrow chirped frantically and hopped to her shoulder.

She heard a sharp intake of breath from the old merchant and looked up as he said, "A sword?" With a shocking pang, she realized what he had seen. Quickly, she crossed her arms before her, covering the sword, and bowed low to the merchant.

"I have to go, Ossan. Thank you for the offer. Gomenasai, Ossan." She turned sharply to run, but only ran into a man cloaked in purple. Her bird took off as she looked up and a sharp breath cut her short from speaking his name.

He had kind blue eyes and flame red hair. He wore a cross shaped scar on his left cheek and carried a sword at his side. He smiled and kneeled on one knee to be at eye level with the girl.

"You should be more careful when you're running, little girl," he said with a kind smile. He dropped his voice to a low whisper and added, "And even more careful when hiding your sword, although I am quite confused at why a child would have a sword. Those are dangerous, you know?"

"The Batousai," the girl said under her breath. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed defiantly and said, "I know a sword is dangerous, and I am perfectly able to use one."

Kenshin's eyes grew wide. He hadn't expected the girl to know who he was. This child was intriguing to the samurai and he smiled. "So you recognize me, huh? It seems I've doubted you. This one has a question for you."

She raised a brow. "What is it?"

"What is your name and where are your parents? You shouldn't be alone like this."

The girl smirked. "That's two questions, Batousai, but I'll answer them. My name is Xiao Mei Sigara. My mother passed away and I'm looking for my father."

Kenshin's eyes went wide in shock for a moment. "Sigara?" There was a pause between them before he stood up and said, "Follow me, Xiao Mei."

"Hm? What for?"

"I'll take you to your father."

Xiao Mei's eyes went wide at what he said. Was it that simple to find him? Perhaps it was true, but that only meant Xiao Mei would get her job done faster with less questions asked.

Eyeing the civilians about her, Xiao Mei followed the Batousai to her father, or where this man believed he was. They wound through the bustling streets and across a small bridge.

Soon, they were out of the busy market place and in a rural area. They took a path through sakura trees that lead them to a sword training dojo. "The Kamiya Kashin Dojo" read a sign out front.

Kenshin stopped and looked back at Xiao Mei, who was too busy taking in all her surroundings to notice he stopped. She bumped right into him, lost her balance, and fell on her butt.

"Oof!" she said with a wince.

Looking up, she was greeted by the smiling face of the Batousai as he extended a hand to the young girl. "Need a hand?"

Xiao Mei took it and was pulled to her feet. "Sorry about that," she said, dusting off her rear end. "Is this the place?"

Kenshin nodded and said, "He should be inside now. Come, let's go check, alright?"

Xiao Mei nodded and followed the man in. She kicked off her sandals and stepped up on the patio; it was very well cleaned. Kenshin opened the sliding door to reveal a comfortably furnished interior.

"Miss Kaoru," called Kenshin. "We have a guest!"

"A guest?" replied Kaoru as she came out from the hall. She smiled kindly when she saw the young girl and said, "Well, who's this?"

With a smile, Kenshin simply said, "She's here to see Sano. Is he here?"

Kaoru nodded and said, "Yes, he is. He should be out back. The last time I checked, he was taking a nap. I'll take you to him, alright?" She smiled down at Xiao Mei. "My name is Kaoru and I'm the head of this dojo. What's your name?"

Xiao Mei put her hands together and bowed. "My name is Xiao Mei Sigara, ma'am."

"Huh?" Kaoru said a hand to her mouth. "Did you say Sigara?"

"What're you sayin' my last name for, Kaoru?" asked Sanosuke, yawning, as he came in from the back way. He stopped, seeing Xiao Mei, and pointed. "Who's the kid?"

Kenshin's eyes went wide. "You mean you don't know!" he said with a start.

Xiao Mei's gaze was straight forward, meeting Sanosuke's gaze, intense and defiant.

Sano shook his head. "No, I've no idea who she is."

"She's your daughter!" Kenshin said unbelievably.

Sano nearly choked on the breath of air he was taking in. "M-My DAUGHTER? I don't have a daughter!" He looked from Kenshin down to Xiao Mei.

He walked up to her, a sweat drop hanging over head, and eyed her curiously. He squatted down to eye level with the child and asked, "What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Xiao Mei Sigara," she said, her gaze unblinking.

"Xiao Mei? If I did have a daughter, I would never name her Xiao Mei. That's a Chinese name! I would've given her a good Japanese one."

"The first name doesn't matter," said Xiao Mei in a slightly harsh, defiant tone of voice. "It's the last name: Sigara. Don't you remember mother?"

He raised a brow and said, "I think you've got the wrong idea, kid. I didn't have any kid with any woman."

Just as he made to get up, Xiao Mei said, "Xiao Ling!"

Sano froze, half way up, and looked at Xiao Mei with wide, slightly horrified eyes. "How do you know that name?"

"That's the name of the woman you loved, isn't it?" asked Xiao Mei, orange eyes intense and defiant as always. "That's the name of my mother!"

Memories flooded Sano's mind: Memories of a young Chinese girl, a stowaway on a boat from China, with extraordinary skills with the Chinese sword, the Dao.

She joined the Seki Houtai when she was caught practicing her sword skills by a young man with spiky brown hair and proud brown eyes. He told her his name was Sanosuke Sigara, and she told him hers was Xiao Ling Wu Mei.

It was love at first sight and they were together until the fall of the Seki Houtai leader. Sano left without a word, leaving behind an unsuspecting mother-to-be.

Sanosuke's eyes glazed over as he looked back on his memories of that woman.

"Do you remember now?" asked Xiao Mei, interrupting his thoughts.

He turned his gaze back to Xiao Mei and asked, "Where's Xiao Ling? How is she?"

A deathly silence fell over the small group in the dojo. Kenshin knew the answers to Sano's questions. The girl had revealed them to him upon their meeting.

The defiant look in Xiao Mei's fiery orange eyes glazed over to one pitted against sadness. She took a breath and said, almost as a sigh, "She's dead."

A pain like a dagger through his heart racked Sano's body: She was dead. The woman he loved so dearly for so long a part in his life was dead. "When?" was all he could ask Xiao Mei.

"When you left," she started, "my mother was depressed. She looked for you, but she couldn't keep it up. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she and my nanny moved to China. She got sick a year after I was born, although my nanny told me that this sickness was only her depression taking a physical part.

"She died when I was two years old and I was raised to three by my nanny. There was an epidemic in the small village I was in. My nanny got sick, but, for some horrible reason, I didn't. I was left the only healthy person in that village of sick people.

"To escape the epidemic, my nanny took me to another village that was famous for its martial arts school. I was raised there until my nanny died and I came here to Japan to look for you."

She took long breaths that seemed to take a great effort in her part. She stood tall, defiant, not bothering to hide her sword. Her cheeks flushed red as she took more effort to continue her regular breathing pattern.

Sano must've noticed her strange behavior because he placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Are you alright, Xiao Mei?"

She shrugged her father's hand off and replied, "I'm fine!" She lurched forward and fell to the floor.

"Xiao Mei!" Kaoru cried, coming quickly to the child's side.

Kenshin looked up to Kaoru and said, "Ms Kaoru, go get Ms Megumi! We need her here."

"She left to the market with Yahiko, Kenshin, I don't know where she is," Kaoru replied hectically.

"Not anymore," said Megumi as she walked in the front door. "What's going on?"

"Megumi," cried Sano. "Come quick!"

Megumi, seeing Xiao Mei passed out on the floor, rushed to the girl's side. Yahiko came to the door carrying the basket with the groceries.

"Sure, leave me with the groceries," he mumbled.

Megumi jumped up to her feet and ran to Yahiko. For a moment, Yahiko thought she was going to relieve him of his load, but, instead, she rummaged through it and pulled out a bundle of herbs tied with twine.

"Thanks," Yahiko muttered, glaring up at the woman. "What's all the fuss about anyway?" he asked, setting the basket down on the floor. He was answered by the sight of the unconscious Xiao Mei on the floor.

When Xiao Mei woke up, she felt the touch of a cool, damp towel on her forehead. She looked up to an open window on the wall closest to her. Her sparrow was perched on the window sill as he chirped a cheerful sound.

"You came back, Long Yen," Xiao Mei said softly with a sweet smile. (Long Yen is means Dragon Eye in Chinese. Xiao Mei means Little Sparrow.)

The door opened to the small guest room she was in and Long Yen fluttered away. Slightly disappointed, Xiao Mei turned to look at who disturbed her bird.

It was a young boy, who looked to be about Xiao Mei's age. "Looks like you had the birds sing to you," he said as he came to sit by her futon mattress.

"Who are you?" Xiao Mei asked rather bluntly.

"M-Me?" he stuttered in reply as if he just realized she was talking to him.

"Yes, you," Xiao Mei replied with a laugh. "There's no one else in this room."

"R-Right," Yahiko said, his face blushing. He scratched his head and said, "My name's Yahiko."

"Yahiko . . . that's a nice name," Xiao Mei said with a smile. "Does it mean anything?"

Yahiko jumped, his face blushing even more. Oo "M-Mean something? Not that I know of. It's not th-that great a name. Heh-heh . . . Uh, w-what's your name?"

"My name is Xiao Mei," she said, taking the damp towel from her forehead and sitting up.

"That's a pretty name," Yahiko said with a smile. His face was slightly less red than before. "What does it mean?"

"Little Sparrow," she said, smiling kindly to Yahiko. She liked this boy. There was something about him, something strong and defiant like Xiao Mei, that made her comfortable around him.

"Little Sparrow, huh?" replied Yahiko with a smile. "Is that why the birds like you so much?" he asked with a laugh.

Xiao Mei laughed with him and said, "Who knows! I found Long Yen when he was still in his egg."

"Long Yen?" asked Yahiko.

Xiao Mei nodded and said, "Long Yen is the bird that was singing to me on the window sill."

"It sounds like a strong name," Yahiko said.

Xiao Mei laughed and said, "Of course it does! It means Dragon Eye."

"Wow," Yahiko said with a grin. "It's times like this I wish I had a Chinese name!"

Xiao Mei giggled through a smirk and said, "Maybe I'll come up with one for you, hm? What about Fat Fang?"

"Fat Fang! But I'm not fat!"

Xiao Mei laughed, holding her hands at her stomach.

"What's so funny?" Yahiko asked, not understanding.

"Fat Fang doesn't mean you're fat, Yahiko! It's just a name! But I don't think it's the right one for you, so I'll come up with a different one, alright?"

Yahiko sighed. "Good, because I don't like Fat Fang."

The two laughed together before the door opened again to reveal Megumi standing with her arms crossed. "It looks like you two have made fast friends," she said with a smirk. "What's so funny?"

"We were coming up with a Chinese name for Yahiko," Xiao Mei said, still laughing. "He didn't like Fat Fang."

"Well, I wouldn't either," Megumi said with a shrug. "I don't like being called fat."

The three laughed again before it settled down. "How are you feeling, Ms Sigara?"

Yahiko raised an eye brow and looked at Megumi incredulously. "'Ms Sigara'? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, so no one told you," Megumi said with a smirk. "It appears that Xiao Mei is Sanosuke's daughter."

"His daughter!" Yahiko exclaimed.

Xiao Mei sighed. "I didn't know it would cause such controversy that I'm his daughter."

"Well, considering the fact that none of us, including your father, knew about you, I'd say it's a pretty big shock," said Megumi with a smirk. "Now that you're awake, Xiao Mei, dinner is ready."

Xiao Mei smiled kindly and said, "I'll be there in a couple of minutes." That was soon followed by a low growl from her stomach. "Make that one minute."

Megumi smiled, nodded her head, and said, "Come on, Yahiko, let's leave our guest be."

"Right," Yahiko said, getting to his feet and following Megumi out of the room.

Xiao Mei sighed, somewhat dreading what she was going to have to do now that she found her father. What she dreaded the most was being hated by that boy, Yahiko, and Megumi, the woman who had been so kind to her.

She wondered if she should add the Batousai to her list, but then thought better of it. She needed to stay alive.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: TA-DAA! My very first Rurouni Kenshin fan fic! What is Xiao Mei planning to do? Why is she starting to dread her mysterious task? If you guess right, I'll give a special shout-out to you in the next chapter! You like the story? Please let me know of anything that could improve or any ideas for the next chapter. Oh, and I forgot to put this in the author's notes of my Gundam Wing – The Memories of Duo Maxwell, but if you have any ideas for the next chapter of any series of mine, please feel free to let me know.


	2. Small Lady Samurai Chapter 2

Rurouni Kenshin – Small Lady Samurai

Chapter Two

By gametaken

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own any characters portrayed in the manga, television series, or any other animated productions of the kind.

Author's Note: CHAPTER TWO! After being egged on by my friend Connie, I finally got around to typing the second chapter of this fan fic. When we last left Xiao Mei, she had just revealed the fact that she was Sanosuke's daughter. She then passed out from some strange illness and woke up to a friendly conversation with Yahiko as the two swapped names. When she was left alone before heading to dinner, Xiao Mei began dreading the mysterious task set before her. What does she have to do? Find out and read!

The dinner they had made for her tasted good to Xiao Mei, granted she tasted far better before. They had finished and Sanosuke went off, having finished his meal earlier than the others. Xiao Mei made to get up and follow him, but Yahiko had called her back.

"Xiao Mei," he said catching up with her as she neared the back door to follow Sanosuke out; she had taken her sword with her and tucked it away in her sash.

Xiao Mei stopped and looked back at him with a smile, although she was slightly disappointed at being interrupted from her business. "Yes, Yahiko?" she asked.

"Where ya goin'?" he asked.

Xiao Mei smiled, closing the door behind her, and said, "I was going to go out for a walk. I like to take walks after I eat. Why?"

"Walks, huh?" Yahiko asked, patting his belly. "I usually take naps after _I_ eat, but everyone's different. Do you mind if I come with you?"

Xiao Mei hesitated, her smile diminishing slightly. She sighed and said with a smile, "No, I don't mind. Sure you can tag along."

Yahiko's hopeful smirk turned into an exuberated grin as he laughed in victory. "Haha! Thanks, Xiao Mei!"

The two headed together out of the back door and walked along a trail that wounded through the slender sakura trees and Japanese oaks. They walked a little way, talking of things they liked – or more like Yahiko babbling out all of his interests and Xiao Mei listening contently. A small bird flitted above them and landed with a chirp on Xiao Mei's shoulder. She stroked Long Yen's chest feathers lightly with her index finger, still listening to Yahiko as he rambled on.

Then, she heard him say, "… then, I tripped and landed face first into a pile of mud. Sanosuke laughed his butt of, but I chased him with my bamboo sword."

Xiao Mei giggled, but quickly covered her mouth with a hand. "I'm sorry," she said through her fingers.

"For what?" Yahiko asked. "Laughing at my story?"

Xiao Mei shook her head. "Never mind," she said, looking down.

"No, tell me," Yahiko pleaded, grinning widely.

"Well," Xiao Mei said, hesitating for a moment. "It was when you said you started chasing him around with your _bamboo_ sword."

Yahiko raised a brow. "What's so funny about a bamboo sword?"

"No, never mind," Xiao Mei said, shaking her head and looking away. "I shouldn't have laughed in the first place. It was rude of me. I'm sorry."

"No, tell me," Yahiko said, stopping in his place and crossing his arms as he looked at Xiao Mei with a patient smirk. "I want to know."

"Promise you won't be soar at me?" Xiao Mei asked, looking up at him from under her bangs.

"I promise," Yahiko replied, holding his hands in the air. "On my honor."

"Well," Xiao Mei began, "it was the bamboo sword. I never really considered them as an actual sword, considering the fact that they were made of bamboo. So, when you said 'bamboo sword,' I couldn't help but… laugh. I've never used a fake sword before. Actually, I've never used a Japanese sword before."

"What do you mean?" asked Yahiko.

Xiao Mei took her arms from in front of her sword to down by her side, revealing her wakasashi. "This is my sword," she said, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Whoa, you have a _real_ one?" Yahiko exclaimed. "How come you didn't get caught by the police?" He looked at his bamboo sword – he carried it with him for the walk – and the down to Xiao Mei's sword, disappointed with his own.

Xiao Mei nodded. "I suppose I hid it well. Yes, my master started me off with a bamboo sword, but I broke too many, so he got me my own sword."

"Is that the one he got you?" Yahiko asked, pointing to her sword.

Xiao Mei shook her head. "No," she said, pulling the wakasashi out. "He got me a Chinese Dao sword. I'm far better suited to that, but this sword is so much easier to hide than a Dao. He told me about these Japanese swords and the effect they have on those who use them, but I've never actually used one. It's odd, really…."

The blade gleamed maliciously in the sun that filtered through the trees. Xiao Mei smiled, pleased by this sword nonetheless. Yahiko was about to say something when a loud, crashing sound came from the trees behind them. They turned simultaneously to see what was bumbling towards them. Yahiko's eyes went wide when a large panda bear blundered past young saplings, munching on a few leaves as he went.

Yahiko jumped before Xiao Mei in a protective stance, wielding his bamboo sword before him. "Hey, get back, you dumb bear! Back! Back!" He took a step forward, thrusting his sword at the fat bear. The bear merely opened his maul and closed it tightly about his sword, ripping it out of his hands. "Hey, no – wait! That's my sword you big buffoon!" The bear sat back on his haunches and began chewing on the sword. "He's EATING my sword," Yahiko exclaimed in disbelief. He looked back when he heard the sound of giggling behind him. He raised a brow at Xiao Mei, who looked like she was fighting hard not to break out in hysterics on the ground, and said, "He ate my sword, Xiao Mei! That's not funny!"

Xiao Mei coughed and regained her composure. "Oh, no, of course it's not funny. Not one bit…." She tried hard to keep a straight face, but broke out laughing again when the bear leaned over and scratched his rump. "I'm sorry, Yahiko! That is Fu Li," Xiao Mei said between laughs, giving Yahiko a small bow and a gesture to the panda bear.

"F-Fu Li?" Yahiko repeated, incredulously looking from Xiao Mei to the bear. "You mean you _know_ this bear? The bear that's eating my sword?"

Xiao Mei nodded her head a bit before saying, "I found Fu Li as a cub after I let him out of a poacher's trap."

Yahiko dropped his arms to the side and they hit his thighs and hung there as he gawked at Xiao Mei. "What _is_ it with you and all of your pets, Xiao Mei?"

"They're not pets, Yahiko," Xiao Mei corrected. "They're my friends. I also have a dog named Ping, a pig named Ling Ling, and a cat named Li. They're all back in China, though, staying with a friend."

Fu Li released a rather abrupt burp, scratched his rear end again, and got on all fours. He bumbled his way to Yahiko, sniffed his gi for signs of any more bamboo, then, finding none, he moved on to his mistress, Xiao Mei. He nuzzled her with his wet black nose, somewhat purring contently as he sniffed her familiar scent. Xiao Mei scratched Fu Li behind his ear and smiled. Then, remembering what he did to Yahiko's sword, she flicked him on the nose.

"Fu Li!" she exclaimed, giving him a stern look like a mother chastising her child. "Why did you eat Yahiko's sword? I told you a thousand times not to eat peoples' things!"

Fu Li's ears went flat as he lowered his head and started whining, hoping to get some sympathy from his mistress. He nuzzled her with his nose, trying to egg her into forgiving him.

"No, it's OK," Yahiko said, approaching the two. "I can always get another one, alright, Fu Li?" He held out his hand to Fu Li as he tried to gain the animal's trust. He learned from Kenshin after nearly being mauled by a stray cat that you have to gain an animal's trust by letting it get to know your scent.

Fu Li hesitated, looking up at Yahiko with his big brown eyes, made even deeper by the black mask the spots over his eyes made. He sniffed Yahiko's hand, hesitated, then licked it contently.

"Hey, I think he trusts me now," said Yahiko with a grin. Fu Li continued to lick Yahiko's hand. "Alright, you can stop licking my hand now, Fu Li," added Yahiko, starting to sound a bit nervous. "Fu Li…? You can stop now…." He snatched his hand from Fu Li as he started to nip and said, "You've had your fill, you pig!"

Fu Li flinched and scurried – more like bumbled – behind Xiao Mei. Xiao Mei broke out in hysterical laughter at their behavior. "You two are too much," she said between laughs.

Yahiko blushed and started to laugh with Xiao Mei. Xiao Mei is so pretty, thought Yahiko. Then, as if Xiao Mei could hear his thoughts, he covered his mouth, dreading the fact that he even thought it.

"Is something wrong, Yahiko?" asked Xiao Mei, obviously worried as to why Yahiko covered his mouth. "You're not going to be sick are you?"

Blushing even more – his face was the color of Kenshin's hair by this time – he said, "No, I think I just burped."

"Better burped and tasted than farted and wasted," said the familiar voice of Sanosuke as he came up the path to where they stood. Long Yen was flitting behind him, twittering happily as he went. "What are you two love birds doing here by yourself?" teased Sano with a wide grin on his face. He had a sprig of hay hanging from the corner of his mouth as he chewed at the end. "And, what's with the panda bear? I didn't know there were pandas in Japan."

"Would you shut your face?" Yahiko exclaimed, reaching for the bamboo sword that was probably making its way through Fu Li's large intestines. "We're just walking!" His face, still red like a beat, held an embarrassed and nervous expression. "And, we're not love birds," he added in a hushed tone of voice.

Xiao Mei's expression was devoid of any emotion what so ever. She reached for the handle of her wakasashi – she put it back after showing it to Yahiko – and made to draw the lethal blade from its sheathe. Then, remembering that Yahiko was here, she quickly shoved it back in with a small _clack._

Sanosuke looked at his supposed daughter oddly as he scratched his head. "What's with you, Xiao Mei? Are you feeling better?"

Xiao Mei was taken aback by the sudden mention of her name. Not really prepared for this from the man she came here for, she stammered out, "Y-Yes… I-I'm feeling better, Sigara-kun."

"'Sigara-kun'?" said Sano and Yahiko simultaneously, looking at Xiao Mei oddly. "What's with the honorifics?" asked Sano, flicking the sprig of hay on the ground.

Xiao Mei fumbled for an answer. Her mind was in random chaos at the moment. She had never expected to be in such an involved conversation with this man. "W-Well," she stuttered, "since I don't know you as well as I should, I thought to use Japanese honorifics." She gave a low bow and added, "I'm sorry if I used them incorrectly. Is –chan the correct one to use?"

Yahiko busted out laughing and was clutching his sides. "Hahaha! –Chan? Hahaha! Yeah, call him Sanosuke-chan! Hahaha!"

Sanosuke socked him on the head, an angry expression on his face. "Shut-up, you little brat! She doesn't know any better!" Then, regaining his composure, he turned to Xiao Mei and said, "Just forget the honorifics, kid, and call me Sano."

Yahiko was still laughing and saying, "Ow! Hahaha! That hurt! Not as much as –chan, though! Hahaha!"

Sano sent another punch to his head. "I said shut-up, runt!" He cleared his throat and walked over to Xiao Mei. "Yeah, about the whole father daughter thing…." He seemed to be struggling for the right words to say. "You have to admit, I'm new to this father business, so I started thinking, 'What would a father do?' So, uh… I was thinking, tomorrow, we could go into town. I hear they're going to hold a kabuki theater performance at the local theater. It's a comedy, I heard. How would… uh… like to go to that…? With me…?"

There was another fit of laughter from Yahiko, but Xiao Mei's expression was serious, a bit too serious to belong to a child of her age, as a matter of fact. Fu Li sat on his haunches behind her as he munched on a stalk of bamboo that was growing on the side of the trail. Xiao Mei pondered for what seemed to Sanosuke an eternity before she said, "I would like to go to this… kabuki theater performance… dad."

That word made Sanosuke's stomach churn like someone stuck a wooden spoon inside and swirled it about. "Um… OK then… tomorrow… alright… bye." With that, he rushed past his daughter and the panda bear feasting on bamboo and headed back to the dojo.

If one were to look for any relation between the two – Sanosuke and Xiao Mei – it was as easy as looking at their faces. They both had the same proud and arrogant expression, the same confident and daring eyes. There was no mistaking her as his daughter. Xiao Mei's intense train of thought was broken by Yahiko's voice.

He seemed to be recuperating from his laughing fit as he came up to her, rubbing the soar spot on the back of his head where Sanosuke had hit him. "What did Sano-chan ask you?" At his own question, he hurled himself into another bout of laughter. Xiao Mei watched with stern eyes, not amused by his joke. Straightening himself, Yahiko asked again: "Yeah, so what did he ask you?"

Xiao Mei paused for a moment, looking at Yahiko with a somewhat empty expression, and then turned to look at Long Yen as he perched on a branch above, pecking at a small caterpillar he had clenched in his claws. "He asked me if I wanted to go with him to a kabuki theater performance in town. He said it was a comedy."

Yahiko's raised his brows as he looked at his friend. He looked back in his memory for any mention of a theater performance the next day, then, remembering an advertisement flyer he saw posted on the front door of the dojo, he said, "Oh, I know which play he's talking about! Yeah, Kenshin and Kaoru said they'd take me to it, too."

At this, Xiao Mei snapped her head back to look at Yahiko. "You are coming, too?" she asked, sounding depressed.

"Yeah," Yahiko said, noticing the depression in her voice. "Why? You don't want me to come?"

Then, realizing how rude she must've sounded, she said, "I'm sorry. No, it's not that I don't want you to come, Yahiko! I would love for you to come! It's just that…," she trailed off. She didn't know what it was. She had no excuse to give to Yahiko. He must think I hate him, thought Xiao Mei, dreading that thought. This boy was special to her and she didn't want to hurt him.

Yahiko snapped his fingers, which made Xiao Mei jump, and said, "I know! It's because you wanted to be alone with your old man, huh? I understand! Don't worry, Xiao Mei!" He placed his hands on her shoulders and a grin on his face. "I'll tell Kenshin and Kaoru to leave you two alone. I think Megumi's coming, too, but I'm not sure. I'll have to ask her."

Xiao Mei's face flushed a fierce red. He touched me, she thought, eyes wide. A touch from this boy, the boy that she was starting to have intimate feelings for, made her feel cold and hot all at the same time.

Yahiko noticed this and said, "What's wrong? Are you feeling alright? We'd better go back up to the dojo, Xiao Mei." Here I go, thought Yahiko as he took hold of Xiao Mei's hand and lead her back up the trail to the dojo.

Long Yen peeped and flitted ahead of them towards the dojo. Fu Li, noticing his mistress leaving, picked up his bamboo in his mouth and blundered after them. To Xiao Mei, time seemed to stop. Yahiko, this wonderful boy, was actually holding her hand. She looked at the back of his head as he walked ahead of her as if she were beholding the head of a god. "…Yahiko," she said, almost to herself.

He stopped and looked back at her with a kind smile. "Yes? What is it, Xiao Mei?"

She didn't know what to say. She didn't think he'd actually respond to – this all felt like a dream. "…Nothing," she said with a sigh, her face growing slightly less red. She smiled softly and shook her head. "It's just… that I'm glad I met you, Yahiko."

It was Yahiko's turn to blush. "Oh, uh… thank, Xiao Mei. I'm glad I met you, too."

The two continued on their way, still holding hands. Xiao Mei walked beside him now, though, and there was a happy and content smile on her face. Yahiko had an awkward look on his face, as if he were unsure of what to do next. He had built up the courage to hold her hand – now what? He stopped suddenly – Xiao Mei nearly kept on going when she felt the tug on her hand.

"What is it, Yahiko?" she asked, looking back at him.

He had a grin on his face and looked like he was up to something. "You're feeling alright, right?"

Xiao Mei nodded her head, slightly confused as to what he was getting at.

"Then, how about we go to the market streets? I know a guy there who does a free puppet show twice a week. If I kept schedule, he should perform today. You and I can go to that today, then tomorrow, you can go with Sanosuke to the kabuki theater without worrying that we couldn't spend any time together. Is that OK?"

A smile spread across Xiao Mei's face as the idea dawned on her. "Oh, Yahiko, that would be perfect! Is this marionette any good?"

"Marionette?" repeated Yahiko, raising a brow.

Xiao Mei nodded. "Yes, marionette is another name for a puppet master."

"Oh," said Yahiko, his cheeks flushing in embarassment. Good job, Yahiko, he thought to himself. Now she probably thinks you're an idiot! "Well, yeah, of course they're good," he continued, trying to get past his injured ego. "But, if we wanna make it in time, we have to hurry!"

He took hold of her hand and the two ran off together towards the town.

When they reached the markets streets, it was packed with people hurrying every which-way to tend to their business. They passed by the old merchant that had caught Xiao Mei's eye when she first came here. The silver and black onyx stone panda charm caught her eye as it gleamed in the sun.

"Hey, Yahiko, wait!" She stopped and ran over to the old merchant. "Good afternoon, Ossan," she said cheerfully.

The old man grinned cheerfully, his eyes squinting and the sun baked wrinkles around his face creasing even more. "Why, hello there! You're the young lady I saw yesterday, am I correct?"

Xiao Mei nodded her head vigorously. "I didn't get a chance to buy that panda pendant that I wanted to get yesterday. I would like to buy it now, please."

The old man laughed his cheerful and gruff laugh and said, "Well, you are still as polite as I remember! That discount I gave you is still in effect. Five yen, child, is all it costs."

Yahiko's eyes went wide. "Five yen for that! Wow, Xiao Mei! You're getting a good deal!" He grinned and patted Xiao Mei on the back.

Xiao Mei smiled kindly; although not really sure what he was so happy about. "Yes, it is a good deal. Here, Ossan," Xiao Mei said, pulling out that silk money pouch. She stuck her hand inside and pulled out some coins. She counted out five coins and gave it to the old merchant. Then, pointing to the panda amulet, she said, "I would like that one, please!"

The old man chuckled and took the necklace off of the rack. He lowered it down to Xiao Mei between his long, bony fingers and said with a chuckle, "Enjoy, child!"

Xiao Mei's face lit up as she took the necklace from his grasps. "Oh, if only Fu Li could have come with us," she said, referring to the bumbling mass of fur, Fu Li. "He would love to see this."

Hey, while we're down here," Yahiko said, "I wanna go check out that swords shop."

"Swords shop?" Xiao Mei repeated, slightly confused. Then, she said in a low whisper, "But, Yahiko, this is the Meiji era! If they catch you even looking at those swords, we'll get in trouble."

Yahiko raised a skeptical brow and said, "_This_ coming from the girl carrying a wakasashi in her sash." Xiao Mei made a hushing sound, looking around to see if anyone heard. Yahiko laughed and said, "Relax, Xiao Mei! I'm going to look at their wooden swords. Kaoru's swords are so cheap; I think Fu Li will eat it."

The two laughed together at the mention of that incident. Then, they heard a loud bell, dinging away as a man called out, "Come one! Come all! Tsume's Puppet Show begins!"

"Oh, man, it's starting," Yahiko exclaimed, seizing Xiao Mei's hand and hurrying off in the direction of the puppet show.

When they came back to the dojo, the sun had just met the horizon and the sky was tinted a malicious red with orange and purple clouds splayed across the sky. They were laughing as they mimicked the puppet show. Yahiko mimicked being hit on the head with a cannon ball and Xiao Mei pointed and laughed. Their faces were red from all the laughing by the time they reached the door.

The door slid open to reveal Kenshin and Sanosuke sitting together around the low table. Long Yen had flitted in, perched atop Kenshin's red head as he plucked out a hair. "Ow," Kenshin said, waving the bird off of his head. He fluttered over and landed on Yahiko's shoulder, twittering angrily in his ear.

"Hey, quit it, bird," Yahiko said, shooing the feathered pest away – Long Yen fluttered over to the floor by Sanosuke and began hopping in a small circle.

"Where did you two go, this one wonders?" Kenshin teased before raising a tea cup to his lips. There were Mahjong pieces on the table.

"Yeah," Sano snorted. "Xiao Mei doesn't need to be out this late." After Sanosuke said that, Kenshin said something about how fatherly Sano was becoming.

"None of your business," Yahiko retorted, sticking his tongue out.

"Yahiko took me to a puppet show," said Xiao Mei with a small giggle. "It was wonderful!"

"A puppet show?" asked Sanosuke with a laugh. "Way to go, Yahiko."

"So what!" said Yahiko, defiantly crossing his arms, although his face – blushing as much as it was – said otherwise his defiant demeanor. "Since you and Xiao Mei are gonna go to the kabuki performance, I thought I'd take Xiao Mei to the puppet show today while it's still playing…." He stopped and realized how stupid he sounded – to him he sounded stupid.

"That's so kind of you, Yahiko," said Kenshin with a smile.

Sanosuke glared at the boy and said, "I'll keep my eye on you, Yahiko. You better not be getting fresh with Mei." Kenshin made another comment about Sanosuke's fathering. Sanosuke yelled at him and told him to shut-up.

Xiao Mei was about to say something when she heard a crash and a scream from the kitchen. Kenshin and Sanosuke got to their feet, Kenshin gripping his sakabatou instinctively. Xiao Mei gripped her own sword and ran to the kitchen behind Kenshin and Sanosuke, Yahiko following suit.

"What's going on in here!" demanded Kenshin, braced and prepared for any sign of emergency. When he saw what it was, though, he grew even tenser. "Kaoru, don't move," he said, addressing the cowering Kaoru, who had climbed up on the counter.

"Don't move!" Kaoru retorted. "How can I not move when there's a _bear_ in my kitchen!"

"A bear?" asked Xiao Mei, her voice soft and questioning.

"No, stay back, Xiao Mei," said Kenshin, placing a protective hand before the girl as she moved from behind the men.

"Fu Li?" said Xiao Mei, incredulously.

"Come again?" Kenshin asked, looking down to the girl.

Xiao Mei laughed and said, "That's no wild animal! It's Fu Li!" She ran out from behind Kenshin and towards the bear as he sat munching on one of the fish Kaoru had dropped from her basket. "Fu Li, what are you doing here, boy?"

The bear let out a gruff sound from his throat as he put the fish down and shook his head, his shaggy fur shaking along with it. Fu Li let out a few more gruff calls as Xiao Mei hugged the shaggy creature.

"Fu Li, you're so lazy," Yahiko teased. "Why don't you catch your own fish?"

Kenshin and Kaoru looked from the bear, to Xiao Mei as she hugged the bear, to Yahiko as he stood there grinning, then to Sanosuke, who was merely leaning against the door, scratching his head.

"Am I missing something here?" Kaoru said, still standing, tense, on the counter.

Kenshin's expression was just as confused as Kaoru's was. "Nani?" he asked, slightly loosening the grip on his sakabatou. "Sanosuke," he asked, looking to his friend. "What's going on?"

Sano pointed to his daughter. "Ask her. She's a natural animal child. Says she's got a pig, cat, dog, and a bird. The bird's that little sparrow flying around your dojo, Kaoru." He pointed to Long Yen as he flitted through the kitchen door way and landed on Kenshin's head.

He started to pluck out some of his hair again. "Stop plucking out my hair," Kenshin protested as he waved the bird off of his head again. "I think he has a fetish for the color red." He looked back to Xiao Mei and said, "So, that bear is yours?"

Xiao Mei nodded and gave a bow to Kenshin, then another to Kaoru – who started to climb down from the counter – and said, "Yes, Fu Li is my bear. Gomenasai, Kaoru-dono, for alarming you. Gomenasai to you, too, Himura-sama. I'll have him leave now if you wish."

Kaoru, haven fully grounded her feet on the floor, said as she rubbed her temples, "It is fine, Xiao Mei. Just make sure he doesn't break anything, alright?"

Xiao Mei nodded her head and gave another bow. "Yes, ma'am," she said politely.

Kaoru smiled at this girl's polite behavior. She thought it was cute that such a small child was acting this way. She certainly never saw Yahiko act in this manner. "You don't have to be so formal, Xiao Mei. Just call me Kaoru and talk to me like I'm a friend, not a mistress."

Xiao Mei started to bow and say, "Yes ma'am," when she stopped herself and said, "Alright… if you say so." Her deep orange colored eyes flitted over to Sanosuke maliciously. She wanted everyone to go to bed so the next day would come faster. Also, so she could get her job done quicker.

After Kaoru gave Fu Li a couple of her spare fish, most everyone did go to sleep. Yahiko, Kenshin, Kaoru, and supposedly Sanosuke were asleep. Xiao Mei couldn't sleep. She clung to her wakasashi – she kept it at her side as she slept – and started to wonder of Sanosuke was asleep and how asleep everyone else was. She rolled over in her futon to see the back of Kaoru's head – she was sleeping on her side with her back facing Xiao Mei. Her right hand glided to the handle of her sword. It was small like a child's hand, but, unlike a child's hand, her palm was covered in calluses from sword practicing and martial arts training. Her 'child hands' were practiced and lethal, despite their appearance. She gripped the handle with her right hand and the sheath with her other and pulled the blade out about an inch. A cold _shk _emanated from the blade meeting the sheath, but it was short lived. She sat up straight and passed her glance around the room she was staying in.

That doctor woman, Megumi, who had been staying here, too, must've gotten up and left the room in the middle of the night because her futon was empty. Xiao Mei looked over to Kaoru and pushed her sword back in her sheath. She quickly and soundlessly got to her feet, stepped over her mattress and crept to the door. She passed another glance back at Kaoru, who had rolled over on her other side, and then slid the door open. She quickly stepped through and closed the door as quietly as she had opened it. She held her wakasashi at her side, seeing as she was using one of Yahiko's sleeping gi for the night and the thin belt that she tied about her waist wouldn't have been enough to hold her sword. She turned around and walked down the hall, her gaze cold and emotionless the way her master taught her when searching for one's enemy. Incase you were caught in the act; your facial expression wouldn't give your emotion away, which, in tern, would keep your intentions hidden from your enemy.

She continued down the hall until she got to what she believed was the room Sanosuke was using. She raised her hand to the door to slide it open when a sudden tap on her shoulder sent her heart to her throat. She sharply turned about, her face still emotionless, to look at her discoverer. It was Megumi.

"Hey, what are you doing out of bed, kid?" she asked in a low whisper. "It's too late for you to be out."

Xiao Mei's mind raced for an answer. She found one and said, "I was searching for my dad. I had a bad dream." She slapped herself in her mind. 'I had a bad dream?' she thought to herself. What a cheesy excuse, Xiao Mei!

She held her breath as she watched the facial expression play across Megumi's visage. She looked at the child as if she wasn't buying her excuse. Then, she said the words that popped a hole in her bubble of tension, yet added to her growing embarassment: "How cute! Well, let's not wake up the men. Men turn into grumpy bears when they're woken from their sleep. Let's go back to bed, and if you have another bad dream, just wake me up and I'll be there, alright?"

She held out her hand to Xiao Mei, who stood with her wakasashi behind her back. Xiao Mei looked at the extended hand then took it with her free hand. "Alright," she said, giving Megumi a false smile. She didn't hate Megumi, but she didn't like that she interrupted her business.

While Megumi led Xiao Mei back to bed, the Battousai sat bolt up right in his futon mattress, his senses alert and awake. He held his sakabatou across his lap as he stared fixatedly at the door, which stood cracked open. He could sense something about Xiao Mei as she was about to open the door; something dark. What was she really doing there, out of bed? Kenshin didn't believe it was because she had a bad dream. He knew there was something about that child that didn't seem right. Inwardly, he would search her expressions, her movements, her words, and especially her eyes for any sign of that familiar warmth and rambunctious energy one would so blatantly sense in a normal child. No, this was no normal child. This girl's emotions were buried deep within her soul. She could bring it to the surface so it just barely broke the seal, then bury it so deep, one would think she were inhuman. Kenshin could do this well as a former hitokiri, so he could definitely tell this child had training.

But, why was this child so cold? He could sense the lack of love in Xiao Mei, this foreign girl. Whenever she spoke of missing her father or even mentioned his name in the way a daughter might do, there was no love behind those words. Perhaps, the only emotion remotely similar to love that showed was when she spoke to Yahiko. The bond between those two was so obvious. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. He also noticed that she never went anywhere without her wakasashi. Whenever Sanosuke left, she would follow – with her sword. This was no way for a daughter to behave to her father. Did Sanosuke do something to her or her mother? Did he do something to cause them any grief? If not, what other reason would she have to try and kill him? Yes, it was that obvious to Kenshin. The signs were so clear to him. But, he couldn't rule out their relation. It was obvious that they were blood relatives.

He let out a silent sigh and placed his sakabatou on the floor beside his futon mattress. He leaned back and looked up to the ceiling for a moment, pondering this child. He decided that this was a matter best left to ponder in the morning after a good breakfast. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But, sleep wouldn't come easy to him because the questions were still racing through his mind. One in particular was a bold pest: When would she strike?

To be continued….

Author's Note: The next chapter will be installed soon. But not too soon. I want to keep everyone on the edge of their seats for the answer to Kenshin's question.


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